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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Northumbrian Birding (3 Viewers)

There are Wheatears all over the shop around Otterburn, often in single sex groups of 3 - 6.

Whinchat are back up the Coquet. Found a Mippit nest today as well.

Rob
 
Prestwick Carr

A pleasant evening at Prestwick Carr has just been had, unfortunately I had to leave before anything else may have happened, but active were the following in no particular order:

Swallow (on metal gatepost behind Mayfair House)
Willow Warbler (3 - singing around Mayfair House)
Stonechat 1M
Reed Bunting
Grasshopper Warbler (two reeling with one showing well in the brown reeds)
Goldfinch 2
Grey Partridge (two pairs seen with a different pair calling)
Pheasant
Mistle Thrush (singing along towards Dinnington end)
Woodpigeon
Mallard 2 (flyover)
Grey Heron (flyover)
Jackdaw
Meadow Pipit
Wren
Yellowhammer
Blackbird
Plus two Roe Deer including a stag
Greylag/Canada Geese (only heard)
Magpie
Robin
Starling
Curlew
Blue Tit
Skylark

Highlight was the Gropper! :clap:

I think I also spied someone by the name of Vipers?, if the car was anything to go by ;)

Keith
 
newbiggin golf course walk

seal with the snout on church point rocks...marra says grey seal!
purple sandpiper near the sewer? pipe
pair of wheatears on rocks waiting for the golfers to go!
turnstones,ringed plovers.
passage of auks and guillemots northward still and gannets low down

for record
one pair of bleck tailed godwits on linton pond last sunfday;ringed bird',red below left knee;white over yellow above right knee,white below right knee,
just back in area so scant net access nor phone contacts
possible spotted fly on wansbeck just below welfares bowling green.

kingfishers and otters at the anglers arms stakeford.
 
You certainly did Keith. The Carr was alive with Grasshopper Warblers reeling. Walking up the road we must have heard 5 or 6 and only saw one quite distant. There were 3 Wheatear on the fence near the goat enclosure. We also saw 2 or 3 Roe Deer and lots of Bats, but no Owls.
 
Vipers said:
You certainly did Keith. The Carr was alive with Grasshopper Warblers reeling. Walking up the road we must have heard 5 or 6 and only saw one quite distant. There were 3 Wheatear on the fence near the goat enclosure. We also saw 2 or 3 Roe Deer and lots of Bats, but no Owls.
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Usually I wander up the track towards Dinnington but I stayed around the crossroads to ensure a good view across the fields, good to know there were Wheatears about though - shame about the monotonous noise from the mopeds!
Keith

PS: If you thought you heard a Tawny Owl it was only my wife giving out the call!
 
Nearly there

Home computer almost back up and running so reports will be nore timely from this evening.

Yesterday evening, two Grasshopper Warblers at Arcot, and finally got a peak at the one that 'resides' in the field to the south east. The Sedge Warblers are back in the north east corner (heard not seen - sun too low). And there was a fox (superb!).

West Hartford Flash is drying up, and responding to reports of a Greenshank and a Wood Sandpiper, I dropped in. Could not see the WS but there was a pair of Greenshanks. Grasshopper Warblers to the north of the Flash (heard, not seen).
 
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mILLYg said:
West Hartford Flash is drying up, and responding to reports of a Greenshank and a Wood Sandpiper, I dropped in. Could not see the WS but there was a pair of Greenshanks. Grasshopper Warblers to the north of the Falsh (heard, not seen).
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When I was there for the owls back in February someone told me the area would eventually be drained to be built on. Does anyone know if that's right? Would be a terrible shame.
 
Arcot is an SSSI. West Hartford is allegedly destined to be a bus station, I seem to recall. Arriva's new head office? Another suggestion from the dog walkers is that it will be a Northumberland Fire and Rescue HQ. I will make some enquiries. One Greenshank there tonight plus some Lapwings and L/GBB Gulls. Arcot was generally the same as last night.

If you want to watch Peregrines and can't get out, try the Derby Cathedral webcams on;
http://www.derby.gov.uk/LeisureCulture/MuseumsGalleries/EnvironmentalProjects/PeregrineProject.htm
 
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The area around Arcot has always been intended to be the "fourth quarter" of Cramlington New town.

Look at this map: http://www.multimap.com/map/browse....e=&keepicon=&zm=0&scale=50000&up.x=362&up.y=5

Pretty much all the land between the A1068 (Fisher Lane) the golf course and the railway line, up as far as the A1172 is designated for development (needless to say, the golf course won't be touched).

Arcot pond itself is probably safe, along with the fields directly adjacent - but the whole area will just become another bloody dog toilet if this housing/industrial estate development goes ahead.

That said, there's supposed to be a public enquiry about this because the plan isn't at all well received - but that was supposed to be last October and I've heard nowt about it so far.

I have every intention of kicking up a major stink about this plan at any meeting they hold because this is just about the only bit of "countryside" left in SE Northumberland.
 
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Just got back from a run up to Dipton Woods near Riding Mill. Pied flycatchers are back in good numbers, with a few calling from the entrances of the nest boxes. Also present were green and gs woodpeckrs, jays and treecreeper.
 
Best of luck Keith but development is probably rubber stamped. Conservation seems dead in the water in what was once greenbelt. Saving whats left in small isolated pockets is pointless it plays in the hands of developers allowing them to use conservation to manipulate councils and locals in thinking a development will have little impact or a positive for wildlife
 
Arcot forms part of an important wildlife corridor in an increasingly environment-impoverished area, so I'd suggest that it probably is worth putting in some effort for.

Besides, being selfish about it, I like spending time in and around Arcot (and I know I'm not alone in that) and it's about time that Blyth Valley council started putting the rights and interests of its current residents ahead of the people (and the money) that developments like this are supposed to drag into the area from outside.

If SE Northumberland gets much more like a giant housing estate, I'll be voting with my feet and taking my spending power somewhere else by selling up and moving out.
 
Prestwick Carr

A couple of hours enjoying the sunshine at Prestwick Carr this morning produced a reasonable number of birds. Plenty of Willow Warblers everywhere, as well as two or three Whitethroats. I heard but never saw a couple of Grasshopper Warblers and got my first Sedge Warbler of the year.

Other birds were Curlew, Carrion Crow, Rook, Jackdaw, Magpie, Wood Pigeon, Pheasant, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Robin, Stonechat, Pied Wagtail, Linnet, Yellowhammer and Reed Bunting.

Butterflies seen were Orange Tips, Small Whites, Peacocks and Small Tortoiseshells.
 
As a visitor to Cramlington I support the idea of not building. My info was that the pond at Arcot was due to subsidence so maybe that will be a factor. Bad news if the whole lot fell into a dirty great hole in the ground after they built it!!!
 
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